1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the invention described herein pertain to the field of garments. More particularly, but not by way of limitation, one or more embodiments of the invention enable a secured nursing garment or curtain for use by mothers who wish to nurse their infants modestly and comfortably in public and in private settings.
2. Description of the Related Art
Several different nursing devices have been designed to help nursing mothers maintain a modest and private nursing experience in public. The following nursing garments U.S. Pat. No. 4,468,816 issued to Kaufer Sep. 4, 1984, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,964,172 issued to Bollard Oct. 23, 1990, show a similar design but they do not offer private, secure coverage, which is a problem for a nursing mother. Both Kaufer and Bollard employ arm loops to hold the nursing garment in place. As the nursing infant ages into a toddler his curiosity increases leading to possibly lifting the garment or pulling the garment to the side leaving the mother's breast exposed. The nursing garments of Kaufer and Bollard also have to be secured in place by placing pressure using the body weight of a nursing mother against the back portion of the nursing garments to keep the nursing garments from falling off the shoulder. This means that the mother must always sit against an object and this limits where the nursing mother can use the garment. The nursing devices of Kaufer and Bollard also are also inconvenient if the nursing mother drapes the garment over her body, since she may have to use the side of her head or chin to keep the garment in place while she gets her breast ready to nurse, potentially leading to exposure, frustration and embarrassment.
While other related art uses a neck device for attachment and security, these devices also lack side security and privacy. U.S. Pat. No. 4,797,953, issued to Dameron on Jan. 17, 1989, U.S. Pat. No. 4,924,528, issued to Trombetti-Dickens on May 15, 1990, U.S. Pat. No. 5,090,059 issued to Kahl on Feb. 25, 1992, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,581,209 issued to Bramhan on Jun. 24, 2003, all have a neck band made of material therefore causing an inconvenience for a mother who desires full privacy. The nursing mother who nurses from infancy to toddler age faces the increased possibility of pulling or pushing open on the sides or the flaps of the apparatus. Another possibility is that the infant may begin to tug on the device causing wear on the material attachments. The neckbands formed of material also add a dilemma in viewing the nursing infant. The nursing garments of these inventions tend to have neckbands made of material to generally fit every various sized mother therefore causing a problem in the way that the neckband hangs on the mother. The neckband may lay lower on mothers then on others causing an exposure problem for those mothers and when viewing the nursing infant the hanging material and neckband may expose much more then the modest nursing mother may intend for. For those nursing garments that must tie, when the nursing infant is demanding, due to hunger, the mother must tie the nursing garment around her neck most likely to tie around the neck area snugly adding an inconvenience to view the infant through the top portion of the garment leading to an uncovering of the side panels, exposing the nursing infant and nursing mother's breast region.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,716,597 for Nursing Garment issued Jan. 5, 1988 to Karen M. Griggs. Griggs Nursing garment is a poncho intended to fit over the mother's outerwear attached by means of a hoop anchored to the body of material covering the mother's upper body and the nursing infant. Griggs nursing garment gives little airflow to the nursing infant or toddler due to full closed coverage. This garment also is very inconvenient for mothers who need to uncover quickly and conveniently due to the garments fit and the way the garment is put on or taken off the mother. The size of the hoop also causes concern for mothers of different size. With the design of the poncho, the hoop must be large enough to fit all mothers of varying size. The hoop may fit one mother properly while it may fit a smaller framed mother larger therefore causing sagging in the front portion of the garment leading to exposure of the infant and mother or later lead to pulling on the hoop by the infant. The nursing poncho also is inconvenient for nursing mothers who wish to maintain their hairstyle because of the way to place the garment on and off overhead.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,479,662 for Privacy Covering For Nursing Mothers issued Jan. 2, 1996 to Teri Runco. Runco's Privacy covering for nursing mothers is intended to fit over the mother's outerwear, in the front portion of the nursing mothers upper torso, attached by means of a material band. The upper portion of the garment is lined by a piece of flexible material, which molds into an outwardly bowed horizontal direction giving the mother access to view her nursing infant. Runco's nursing garment makes it very accessible in public and private settings for the person walking by or above the mother who is sitting down to view the nursing infant and mother. While the emphasis is to nurse modestly, this nursing garment does not eliminate exposure. Runco's nursing garment also is inconvenient in that it does not provide security partially around the nursing mothers back; the nursing garment drapes the frontal portion of the mother leaving the side panels unsecured and where potential exposure is possible.
For at least the limitations described above there is a need for a nursing garment for use by mothers who wish to nurse their infants modestly and comfortably in public and in private settings.